Assembly and a system suitable for dispensing a liquid from a compressible bag

Abstract

An assembly and a system suitable for dispensing liquid from a compressible bag, such as for IV treatment of a patient. The assembly includes an apparatus and a flexible mat. The apparatus includes a housing with a dispensing end and an opposite rear end, a floor comprising a flat floor surface, a pair of parallel guiding tracks and a roller arrangement including a roller body. The roller arrangement has a first roller arrangement end and a second roller arrangement end respectively engaged with the respective guiding tracks. The mat has a first mat end, which is mounted to or adapted to be mounted to the roller body and the mat is located at least partly on the flat floor between the guiding tracks.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus suitable for dispensing liquid from a compressible bag, the apparatus comprises
 a housing having a dispensing end and an opposite rear end, a floor configured for supporting the compressible bag, a pair of parallel guiding tracks, a roller arrangement comprising a roller body having a first and a second roller body ends and a roller surface with a cross-sectional circumference, the roller arrangement has a first roller arrangement end and a second roller arrangement end, respectively engaged with said respective guiding tracks, wherein said guiding tracks are located to guide said roller arrangement to roll said roller arrangement from the rear end location towards the dispensing end, and wherein said roller arrangement comprises an axle rigidly connected to at least one axle flange and wherein said roller body is arranged to rotate around said axle, and a drive arrangement engaged with said roller arrangement for driving said roll of the roller arrangement from the rear end towards the dispensing end, said drive arrangement comprises a spring arrangement, wherein said spring arrangement comprises at least one helical torsion spring located within the roller body, and wherein a first end of the at least one helical torsion spring is engaged with said roller body and a second end of the at least one helical torsion spring is engaged with said at least one axle flange. 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said spring arrangement is at least partly located in the roller body. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said roller body forms a housing for said at least one helical torsion spring. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said spring arrangement is arranged to drive said roller body to rotate around the axle. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein said loading station comprising a toothed wheel and a bar for rotating the toothed wheel, said roller body comprises a ring of tooths located to engage with said toothed wheel when said roller body is located in said loading station. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein said engagement axle flange and said engagement roller flange form a rotational restraint, restraining the rotation of the roller body to a predefined rotation rate. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein said engagement axle flange and said engagement roller flange forms a rotational restraint, wherein a first of said engagement axle flange and said engagement roller flange comprises annular channels and a second of said engagement axle flange and said engagement roller flange comprises annular flanges or sections of flanges engaged into the annular channels of said first of said engagement axle flange and said engagement roller flange. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein said ring of tooths is located on a periphery of a roller flange located at one of the first and second roller body ends. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein said roller arrangement comprises a snap lock for temporarily holding said roller body in said loading station. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein said roller arrangement comprises a lever for releasing said roller body from said loading station. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein said annular channels comprises a lubricate. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one helical torsion spring is located between said roller body and said axle. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said spring arrangement comprises a loading station for loading said spring arrangement, said loading station being located to engage with said roller arrangement at a rear end location of said housing. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises a monitor sensor and a display for monitoring and displaying at least one condition of the compressible bag arranged in the apparatus, wherein the at least one condition comprises at least one of a temperature of a liquid in the bag, a dispensing condition, a dispensing rate, a dispensing status, and/or a dispensing time left. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises a display for displaying a loading condition of said spring arrangement. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the spring arrangement comprises at least a first helical torsion spring and a second helical torsion spring, wherein the second helical torsion spring is arranged at least partially inside the first helical torsion spring. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein a first end of the first and second helical torsion springs are engaged with the roller body, and wherein a second end of the first and second helical torsion springs are independently of each other engaged with an axle flange of an axle in said roller arrangement. 
     
     
       18. An apparatus suitable for dispensing liquid from a compressible bag, the apparatus comprises, a housing having a dispensing end and an opposite rear end, a floor configured for supporting the compressible bag, a pair of parallel guiding tracks, a roller arrangement comprising a roller body having a first and a second roller body ends and a roller surface with a cross-sectional circumference, the roller arrangement has a first roller arrangement end and a second roller arrangement end, respectively engaged with said respective guiding tracks, wherein said guiding tracks are located to guide said roller arrangement to roll said roller arrangement from the rear end location towards the dispensing end, and wherein said roller arrangement comprises an axle rigidly connected to at least one axle flange and wherein said roller body is arranged to rotate around said axle, and a drive arrangement engaged with said roller arrangement for driving said roll of the roller arrangement from the rear end towards the dispensing end, said drive arrangement comprises a spring arrangement, wherein said spring arrangement comprises at least one helical torsion spring located within the roller body, and wherein a first end of the at least one helical torsion spring is engaged with said roller body and a second end of the at least one helical torsion spring is engaged with said at least one axle flange, wherein the roller body comprises a cylindrical body part and at least one roller flange perpendicular to the cylindrical body and wherein the first end of the at least one helical torsion spring is engaged with said at least one roller flange or said cylindrical body part, and wherein at least one of said at least one axle flange is an engagement axle flange and at least one of said at least one roller flange is an engagement roller flange, wherein said engagement axle flange is engaged with said engagement roller flange to control, steer and/or restrain the rotation of the roller body. 
     
     
       19. An apparatus suitable for dispensing liquid from a compressible bag, the apparatus comprises, a housing having a dispensing end and an opposite rear end, a floor configured for supporting the compressible bag, a pair of parallel guiding tracks, a monitor sensor and a display for monitoring and displaying at least one condition of a compressible bag, a regulator arrangement associated with the monitor sensor, a roller arrangement comprising a roller body having a first and a second roller body ends and a roller surface with a cross- sectional circumference, the roller arrangement has a first roller arrangement end and a second roller arrangement end, respectively engaged with said respective guiding tracks, wherein said guiding tracks are located to guide said roller arrangement to roll said roller arrangement from the rear end location towards the dispensing end, and a drive arrangement, wherein said roller arrangement comprises an axle rigidly connected to at least one axle flange and wherein said roller body is arranged to rotate around said axle, and said drive arrangement is engaged with said axle of said roller arrangement to roll the roller arrangement from the rear end towards the dispensing end, wherein the drive arrangement having a spring arrangement, wherein the spring arrangement having at least one helical torsion spring located within the roller body, and wherein a first end of the at least one helical torsion spring is engaged with the roller body and a second end of the at least one helical torsion spring is engaged with the at least one axle flange wherein the regulator arrangement is configured for automatically or remotely controlling the drive arrangement to control the dispensing of liquid from the compressible bag, and wherein the at least one condition of the compressible bag is one of dispensing rate, dispensing status or dispensing time left. 
     
     
       20. The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the drive arrangement comprises an electric motor.